The American Housing SurveyThe American Housing SurveyThe American Housing SurveyThe American Housing Survey
Suburbs and the 2010 CensusSuburbs and the 2010 Census
George Mason and Hofstra Universities
July 2011
TopicsTopicsTopicsTopics
• About the American Housing Survey (AHS)(AHS)
• Accessing the AHS• Public versus Internal Use Files• Research Using the AHSResearch Using the AHS• Future of the AHS
About the American Housing About the American Housing Survey (AHS)Survey (AHS)
Inception of the AHSInception of the AHSInception of the AHSInception of the AHS
• A 1968 Presidential Commission on Housing found that there was not enough information on the dynamics and condition of the housing stock, especially b tbetween censuses.
• In 1971 Congress authorized the AHS.- In 1973 the first National AHS was
conducted.- In 1974 the first Metro AHS was conducted.
AHS TodayAHS TodayAHS TodayAHS Today
Th i l i l d d• The national survey is currently conducted every two years.I i h l l i l h i• It is the largest regular national housing survey in the United States.
- Has a fixed sample of about 50,000households with new construction addedduring each iteration.during each iteration.
• Selected metropolitan areas are surveyed every 4 to 6 years. Almost 50 metro areasevery 4 to 6 years. Almost 50 metro areas have been surveyed by the AHS.
Questions AHS Can Answer
Some examples of questions that can be answered :– Is there an adequate supply of housing and how
inventory has changed over time?inventory has changed over time?– What is the quality of the housing we live in?– What is the quality of the neighborhoods we live in?– How have housing characteristics and amenities
changed over time?– How much does housing cost how it varies forHow much does housing cost how it varies for
different groups and over time?– How do we finance our housing?– Are homeownership rates equal for all groups?– Information on housing that is no longer in stock
Neighborhood quality, Neighborhood problems, Household education, g p ,Crime, Litter, Pollution,Internal and External Building Condition
income and race/ethnicity
Just some subject areasJust some subject areas
Building Condition
Just some subject areasJust some subject areasMortgage financing, Rent controls & Inventory composition,Rent subsidiesUtilities and energy usage
Inventory composition,Units in structure, Square footage
usage
The homes people left,
Residential alterations and home repairs
and why they moved here
The Nation’s HousingThe Nation’s Housing
– Its size and characteristicsIts use and occupancy– Its use and occupancy
– Its condition and neighborhoodIts financial characteristics– Its financial characteristics
• Monthly housing costs• The ratio of costs to household incomeThe ratio of costs to household income
And characteristics of the household
Some Other Structure & Some Other Structure & Equipment MeasuresEquipment Measures
– Year structure built– ElevatorElevator– Heating Fuel
Ki h A li– Kitchen Appliances– Square footage of unit– Rooms: number and type– Persons per room (crowding)Persons per room (crowding)
Some Other Household Some Other Household Ch i iCh i iCharacteristicsCharacteristics
– AgeChildren– Children
– EducationR– Race
– Hispanic Origin– Tenure (own/rent)– Nativity/citizenship– Income
Another Uniqueness of the Another Uniqueness of the AHSAHSAHSAHS
• The AHS has had the same panel in sample since 1985.
• This allows researchers to track the same housing unit over an almost 30 year span.
But this barely opens the door But this barely opens the door to the wealth of information in to the wealth of information in
the AHSthe AHSthe AHSthe AHS
Disseminating the AHSDisseminating the AHSDisseminating the AHS Disseminating the AHS DataData
The AHS data are released publicly and are available at: http://www huduser org/portal/datasets/ahs htmlhttp://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/ahs.html
The internal data files are available at the RDCs The internal data files are available at the RDCs
In addition Census publishes tables from the AHS data In addition, Census publishes tables from the AHS data that are available at: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs.htmlp g g
The Data FilesThe Data Files
PUF IUFTopcoded data Non-topcoded datap p
Merged/Masked geography
Detailed geography (including 1980 census tract)geography (including 1980 census tract)
Recoded/Collapsed information on home
Detailed information on home improvement at theinformation on home
improvementhome improvement at the job-level
No information on Detailed information onNo information on sampling frames
Detailed information on sampling frames
Geography for National DataGeography for National DataGeography for National Data Geography for National Data ProductsProducts
On PUF– Regionseg o s– Metropolitan statistical
areas On IUF• Central cities
• Suburbs
– Rural areas
On IUF– Everything on PUF +– StateRural areas
– Places grouped by size– State– County– Unmasked MSA
information– 1980 Census Tract
Information on Data SetsInformation on Data Sets
Available at http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/ahs.html
1995 and later AHS Public Use Files (PUFs) for downloading – (SAS and ASCII versions)
A codebook for the survey The survey booklet/questionnaire Information on topcoded variables
Other Information on AHSOther Information on AHSAvailable at
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ahs/ahs.html
PDF versions of AHS reports since 1993 Access to the microdata for extracts Excel versions of each of the publication tables for 2005
and 2007D i i f h Descriptions of the surveys– Historical changes– Definitions of concepts and variables– Definitions of concepts and variables– Sample design, sizes, and weights
Recent Research Using AHS DataRecent Research Using AHS DataState of the Cities Home Workers and
Their Homes
A Decade of RemodelingThe Custom Home MarketHome Improvement as Investment
Home Vintage and Operating CostsRural Housing andHome Improvement as Investment
Assisted Living SnapshotsEld l H i N d
Rural Housing and Welfare Reform
Elderly Housing Needs
The Future of the AHSThe Future of the AHS
Rotating Modules of Special Questions Rotating Modules of Special Questions 60 metro areas within the next four years Re-design of the sample in 2015
Contact InformationContact Information
Mousumi SarkarMousumi SarkarAmerican Housing Survey Branch
U S Census BureauU.S. Census BureauPhone: 301-763-3235
i i @Email: [email protected]
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